The present invention relates generally to relatively small implement machines and more particularly to machines used to remove snow from e.g. sidewalks, driveways, and/or from other surfaces which a user desires to clear of snow. Such machines are frequently referred to by names such as snow blowers, snow throwers, and others.
Some snow blowers are user propelled, or non-self propelled. Such snow blowers advance and/or regress under the power of the user, whereby the user pushes, pulls, or otherwise manipulates the device as desired.
By contrast, some snow blowers are self propelled devices, whereby the device advances and/or regresses at least partially under its own power. These self propelled snow blowers can be relatively easier to use, as compared to non-self propelled snow blowers. As one example, a user can devote relatively less energy to advancing the snow blower forward, and can concentrate more energy toward e.g. steering the device, laterally controlling, and/or otherwise controlling, the device.
Typical self propelled snow blowers have an engine, a pair of drive wheels, an auger, and a discharge chute. The engine provides power to all power requiring components of the snow blower, namely the drive wheels and the auger.
A typical method to transmit power from the engine to the drive wheels is by way of a friction drive, solid axle, and sleeved or other wheel hubs. The friction drive includes a drive disc or platter which is rotatably driven by the power produced by the engine. When the friction drive is engaged, an outwardly facing surface of the drive disc or platter frictionally engages the outer circumferential surface of a wheel or other circumferentially-defined surface which is fixedly mounted to the solid axle.
The user engages the friction drive by way of a belt tensioning mechanism which includes one or more belts. Such belts are prone to slippage, breakage, and/or other failure over time. The belt tensioning mechanism is actuated by depressing a drive-lever located on a handlebar.
Depressing the drive-lever can require substantial force. Plus, to keep the friction drive engaged, the user must continuously hold the drive-lever in the depressed, engaged, position, against a substantial retractive force, whereby the use of such friction drive can prove tiresome for the user.
Still referring to known technology, one of the drive wheels is fixedly attached to the solid axle. The other wheel rotates freely with respect to the solid axle, e.g. is a free wheel assembly. Specifically, the free wheel assembly includes a cylindrical hub-sleeve portion which extends axially outwardly from a central portion thereof. The inside diameter of the free wheel hub-sleeve is larger than the outside diameter of the solid axle, enabling the hub-sleeve to slide concentrically over the end of the solid axle.
As desired, the hub-sleeve of the free wheel is rotatably connected to the solid axle by way of, for example, an engaging pin, inserted through bores which extend radially through the hub-sleeve and the solid axle. Accordingly, to disengage a wheel from its rotatable connection with the axle, a user removes the respective engagement pin from the assemblage of the axle and wheel. Then, to reengage the wheel into a rotatable connection with the axle, the user aligns the holes in the axle and sleeve, and reinserts the engagement pin.
However, removing and/or reinserting the engagement pin can prove relatively difficult, at least in certain circumstances and/or environmental conditions. As one example, the corresponding bores of the wheel hub sleeve and the solid axle must be in suitable alignment, both radially and axially, to enable a user to insert an engagement pin therethrough. This task can be further complicated by certain factors such as limited lighting conditions, snow and/or ice which can accumulate in the bores, poor user dexterity if the user wears mittens or gloves, or under cold ambient temperature exposure to bare skin if the user does not wear mittens or gloves, or others.
A typical auger mechanism is driven by a worm and gear, e.g. worm gear type, drive which interfaces the auger at a medial portion thereof. Specifically, in many two-stage auger mechanisms, in which the auger defines a first stage and an impeller defines a second stage, a shaft is driven by power from the engine and extends axially through the center of an impeller. This shaft rotates the impeller and extends axially outwardly beyond the impeller.
The end of this shaft includes a worm gear which is adapted and configured to rotatably drive a corresponding gear that is keyed, or otherwise fixedly connected to, a medial portion of the auger. Thus, when the impeller rotates, so does the auger.
However, worm gear drive configurations, which interface with the medial portion of the auger, define a portion of the auger which is not occupied by the auger blade. Namely, the worm gear drive is generally encapsulated by a housing structure. The housing is typically located in the middle-most portion of the auger, and extends radially outwardly from the auger shaft.
The auger blade which extends spirally outwardly from the auger shaft is discontinuous along the entire length of the auger. In other words, a typical auger defines a center-most portion where the worm gear drive housing is located, and first and second auger blade portions which extend laterally outwardly from respective lateral sides of the worm gear drive housing. The first and second auger blade portions are capable of removing snow along their respective paths of travel; whilst the worm gear drive housing defines an uncut path of remaining snow along its respective path of travel.
Similar to the engagement of the means for engaging the friction drive to provide power to the drive wheels, the conventional auger mechanism is typically engaged by a belt tensioning mechanism which includes one or more belts. These belts are also prone to slippage, breakage, and/or other failure over time.
As with the conventional friction wheel drive mechanism, the belt tensioning mechanism of the auger is actuated by depressing a drive-lever located on a handlebar. Depressing the drive-lever can require substantial force. Plus, to keep the auger drivingly engaged, the user must continuously hold the auger-lever in the depressed, engage, position, whereby the use of such auger drive mechanism can prove tiresome for the user. And when the user releases the auger-lever, the auger and impeller tend to spin until the inertial energy of the rotating parts has suitably been depleted, which can prove dangerous for the user and/or others in the vicinity of the snow blower.
On a conventional snow blower, the snow discharge chute has a lower portion with a generally cylindrical outer wall defining a generally cylindrical inner passage. The outer wall includes a circular flange which extends radially outwardly therefrom, adjacent the bottom of the discharge chute. The circular flange includes a toothed flange gear which interfaces with a corresponding worm gear. The worm gear and flange gear enable a user to rotate the snow discharge chute by rotating the worm gear and thus the flange gear.
The circular flange is rotatably mounted within an annular housing which has a housing lower plate and a housing upper plate which are spaced vertically from each other. Namely, the circular flange is rotatably mounted between the upper and lower housing plates.
Typically, the circular flange and the upper and lower housing plates are made from ferrous, e.g. steel and other, materials. Such materials are susceptible to rust and/or other corrosion. In addition, in light of the intended use environment, the circular flange and the upper and lower housing plates are vulnerable to freezing together. Accordingly, these components of the snow discharge chute are prone to e.g. rusting together, and/or otherwise realizing an increase in the amount of friction therebetween, which compromises the ability of a user to rotate the discharge chute according to its intended function.
Accordingly, there are times when it might be desirable to provide snow blower machines and/or apparatus which include a snow discharge chute rotatably mounted on idler wheels. In addition, it might prove desirable to provide snow blower machines and/or apparatus which include a cable actuated snow discharge chute assembly.
It might prove beneficial to provide snow blower machines and/or apparatus which include an axle assembly with a differential mechanism.
It might prove beneficial to provide snow blower machines and/or apparatus with a selectively lockable differential mechanism.
It might prove beneficial to provide snow blower machines and/or apparatus with a chain drive auger that realizes generally no uncut path along the length of such auger.
It might prove beneficial to provide snow blower machines and/or apparatus with an adaptive speed control mechanism which requires relatively less user energy input to operate.
It might prove beneficial to provide snow blower machines and/or apparatus with a pulley mechanism communicating with an engine output shaft, and a first pulley which is always in rotational unison with the engine output shaft and provides power to a transmission input shaft, and a second pulley which is selectively coupled in rotational unison with the engine output shaft and selectively provides power to an auger assembly.